Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Hope's LiveJournal:

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Thursday, December 4th, 2008
12:51 am	Hurray, I get to do Christmas decorations for the Puritan era house! Wait.... It's officially "Flail Your Arms Wildly and Run in Circles Time" or FYAWARICT as its known colloquially here at UNH. As a welcome distraction from the eight million books(approximately) and three million papers(exactly) I have to write, tomorrow is Christmas decoration time at the Victorian/Federal house on site! The idea of decorating an historically correct Victorian Christmas tree has me all giddy. The house itself is all sorts of awesome, although the tiny ottoman in the front parlor has some sort of nefarious death plot against me, as I almost stumble over it each time I walk by. My favorite part of the house is a lighting feature that you have to look closely for. There are a series of lovely wall lamps with a Greek key design on them. As it approaches dusk, the Greek key design becomes quite visibly projected onto the walls. It's neat! If you are in the region, you should come to when I'm working at Stroll on the 20th. Sure, you'll freeze to death, but it will be for history! On a related note, my ancestor Wallace Finaylson was buddies with the Portsmouth Sherburne family. They were both shipping folks. And they were captured by pirates! Maybe Black Bart? Look: "Wallace Finlayson, master of the Sloop Success... being on a voyage from Barbados hither, in ye latitude of twenty and one half the aforesaid Sloop Success with her cargo and men were taken by a pirate ship, mounted with about twenty eight guns, commanded by Capt. Roberts (which ship was accompanied by a sloop) and that Mr. Edward Sherburne, mate of the Sloop Success was forcibly and very much against his will detained on board the said pirate ship, who openly declared he would be sooner cutt into pound pieces than joyne with the pirates in their piratical designs; to which some of the pirates replyed, if he did not forebear such talk they would cutt off his ears; and further that Argalus [Archelaus] Hunking carpenter of the said sloop, was also detained against his will on board the said ship and beaten and abused for refusing to obey ye commands of ye pirates; and further, the Deponents testify that James Clement a mariner on board the said sloop was also forcibly and very much against his will detained on board the said pirate ship."(N.H. Provincial Papers II(I):735) On an unrelated note, I have to get back to Ireland and/or get to England. Goal for 2009. Current Mood: sleepy Current Music: Mayhem (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
6:29 pm	Get the lead out! I decided to take a nap this afternoon. Just as my Prince Charming and I were laying down a Persian carpet runner in the second floor hallway of our home(which had some nifty dark wood floors by the way, nice taste dream me!) I heard an ungodly siren and was stirred, disoriented, from my slumber. Luckily, our building has a nice automatic voice recording that tells us, politely of course, to get the hell out. I put on whatever clothes were closest to me and, when most of them were facing the right way, I threw on some flip flops and scurried to the nearest exit. Elapsed time from dreamland to safe distance from building: approximately 2 minutes. Imagine my surprise to learn that we failed the drill, as it took the last person four minutes and thirty seconds to get out of the building. It was 5 in the afternoon! I was unconscious,half naked, and sprained, but managed to wake up, get dressed, and hobble out with no brace in under two minutes. What were they doing? Never mind, I err...never mind. That's another story for another day :) Current Mood: groggy Current Music: The Chasm (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
2:12 pm	My evil twin is on the news! Helping the children learn about paleontology, absolutely dastardly! Good job Jes! Hook the kids on museums when they are young and keep bringing more culture and learning to the populace. Current Mood: optimistic Current Music: The Upper Crust (Comment on this)
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
1:24 am	Hope's Museum Italian: Arrivederci-Zaino Did I ever mention this? ,The Victorian Etiquette Game, . It's good fun, they have a 1920's one too, I believe. If for some unfathomable reason you don't do well and wow Victorian society with your debonair charm, you can always begin an exciting new life as a street urchin. On a side note, we are trying to get a bit more multilingual at our museum, even if the end result is just to amuse our non-English speaking visitors. I find it very irritating that I can read and understand general Italian fairly well, but get too nervous to speak it in any great quantity since I'm so out of practice. I'll address Italian visitors in English and I can understand them saying, "What did she say? I don't understand, ask her to say it again slowly." in Italian and am powerless to communicate back in Italian, it's maddening! Anyways, I made a "Museum Italian" cheat sheet for the front desk. Even saying a few words makes those poor jet-lagged folks feel more at home. P.S. I don't care what the game says, I'd totally kiss people in the park :P Current Mood: sleepy Current Music: Rasputina (Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
12:00 am	Splendid! I've narrowed down my final year Project O' Doom to web exhibit based on 18th century women. The obstacles are many: avoiding the "fashion show" pitfall, creating continuity between disparate objects, and hundreds of nebulous challenges I've yet to discover. I very much want to make a connection to the concept of Anglophilia present during the 18th century in the colonies. I'm digging the Trans-Atlantic kick academia is on and really would like to draw some connections. I hope everyone will be open to that. I'm also not sure how much of a class cross section I can present, this needs further research. The good thing is that I'll be cataloging as I mess around, so at least some practical work will get done. On a more practical note, I can't find shoes to match my bridesmaid dress. I alone in my family am the guardian of the fabric "swatch", the only realistic representation in the earthly realm of the bridal party color scheme. You'd think it was a fragment from the Shroud of Turin. We speak of it in hushed tones. I keep it on me at all times and at any given point a relative may ask me for a precious view of it. I'm constantly reminded to guard it with my life. I'm hoping in my wallet next to my library cards is good enough? Anyways, point of the story is shoe manufacturers should make more strappy metallic heels in a size 5 1/2. If I was a 7, I'd be set. Proving equally elusive as my shoes is a suitable pen pal. I've contacted some people who seem pretty nifty, but alas, no luck. Perhaps there is some sort of etiquette I am breaching? Hmm. I shall persist. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Mayhem (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
11:12 pm	Hmm? Oh right, blog! Poor Livejournal, how I have neglected thee! Myspace and Facebook have led me astray. I'm totally going to write an interesting and informative blog...eventually. Until then, enjoy Taft! Current Mood: sleepy Current Music: My dog snoring (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 13th, 2007
5:48 pm	I've noticed that I haven't been very productive with my reading as of late. While some have suggested that I play video games and chat on AIM too much, you, my dear friends, know this could never be true :P. I feared I would never find a way to do my work in a relaxing and productive manner. While I was pondering a way to boost my reading satisfaction, it came to me: a reading tree. So I spent about a half an hour searching campus for the perfect specimen. I finally settled on a venerable pine tree where I not only finished a good chunk of homework, but also created several possible thesis topics for my historiographical paper. Some of you may wonder how to select a reading tree of your very own in order to harness the incredible creative power unleashed from the relaxing nature of...nature. Fear not! I have created a guide to selecting a reading tree. 1. Pick own off the beaten path. Try to read while constantly under the gaze of lollygaggers is quite difficult. 2. Don't pick one too far off the beaten path, especially if you don't know what poison ivy looks like. 3. Choose a tree that best fits your shade specifications. 4. Beware of potential hazards including, but not limited to: -red ants -spiders -sap -creepy men -pointy branches -territorial squirrels -hypodermic needles(a hazard for those of you, like myself, who like to read on the Common.) Good luck in finding a reading tree! Current Mood: geeky (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
10:57 pm	I haven't posted here in over a month. You see, I have been lured in by the seductive wiles of Myspace. I'll try to give livejournal some love too. Anyways, I made it to Grad school, but not in one piece. It went a little something like this: Me: I'm packed without incident, all I have to do is make it to the car and begin an exciting new chapter in my life. Stairs: Nice try mortal, bow before me! Me: *stumble**tumble**crack* Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stairs: Bwhahahahahah! So my family saved my rear by moving me in my room. I really haven't left it since besides going to the doctor. My ankle is sprained and I'm on crutches. Since I'm pretty immobile, I haven't been able to get my I.D., which is my dining card and key to enter the building. Sometimes I can smell the aroma of food coming from the Dining Hall from my window, it smells quite tasty. I've been surviving on a diet of Cheez-its, tortilla chips, and soup. I'm supposed to be icing my ankle, but I've run out of ice and have no freezer to procure more. I don't know anyone here, so I am pretty much on my own. It's not a social dorm like I had at Umass, I haven't really met anyone yet and the heavy dorm doors are impossible to prop open. I'm in pretty good spirits considering my situation, but I can't help but feel disappointed. I had such high hopes for the beginning of Grad school. I wanted to be independent and able to experience new things. Instead I'm watching T.V. and looking out my window at the people strolling by. I hope they are taking time to appreciate their ankles. Current Mood: frustrated (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, July 29th, 2007
1:42 am	Nooo!!! So my evening went a little like this. Jessie and I went to the ATM before dinner: Me(puts card into machine): Give me money please. Machine: *gobble gobble* **burp** Me: O.O ...... No!!! So Jessie, myself, and the ATM machine had a charming dinner, lovely. Current Mood: shocked (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, July 23rd, 2007
1:55 am	Hey nose, you work for me! I had a nose bleed today. It wouldn't be very notable except for the fact that it was the first nosebleed I have had in my twenty-five years on earth. It was terrifying at first, but then strangely fascinating. I hope I can go another quarter century without one. Reminder: Tommorrow is my retirement party. We're going for Mexican food and then something I haven't thought of yet. I vote bowling, but Geoff says my taste is too expensive. He wants to go drinking, but I think that would be rude to the youngins in the group. Jessie, use your artistic mind to think of something fun! Current Mood: optimistic (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, July 14th, 2007
1:21 am	My Friday the 13th was both bizarre and wondrous. Let's start with the wondrous first: While on my way to read in the BPL courtyard, I noticed a banner proclaiming that there was an exhibition of miniature books. I thought "I love books AND miniatures, could it be true?" It was both true and awesome. They had a mini travel library from the 1830's, a mini Book of Hours from the Middle Ages, and mini Edward Gorey books. Some of the books even came with little magnifying glasses. My cute quotient was almost maxed out. You should go. I also saw/heard a glass harmonica. It's basically just a long series of graduated,fused glass bowls. It is mechanized in that it rotates. You also need to keep dipping your fingers in water as you play. The end result kind of sounds like someone playing glasses full of water, eerie and pretty. And don't listen to those naysayers from the 18th and 19th centuries, playing/listening to it won't make you crazy or give you lead poisoning. But it couldn't be Friday the 13th without the bizarre: I popped into Dunkin Donuts to get a bagel. I ordered a plain bagel, untoasted, with butter. The employee sliced the bagel and then went to the toaster. I called out and reminded him I didn't want it toasted. I was too late it was already in the toaster beyond grabbing distance. Whatever, I could deal with a toasted bagel. Then things got a bit out of hand. The employee actually reached into the toaster to try to get the bagel. It was too hot and he couldn't reach the bagel. Undeterred, he took one of the paper bagel wrapping bags and went in after it again. I kept saying something like "No, it's okay, never mind." I felt really bad this poor guy was potentially going to burn himself for my dumb bagel. That's when the fire happened. You may think the waxy consistency of those bagel wrappers might slow the flames down, you'd be wrong. The paper was consumed in a huge whoosh and there were cinders blowing through the air. The poor guy was coughing. He managed to put out the fire and he made me a new bagel as well. I just kept thanking him and apologizing. He said he was okay, so wandered back to work in a daze with my lunch, solemnly swearing to never interrupt the bagel preparation process again. Current Mood: surprised (Comment on this)
Monday, July 9th, 2007
2:00 am	Artemisia Hmm, does anyone see a slight resemblance? I'd be happy to be a descendant of her :) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, July 7th, 2007
10:35 pm	You know you want to. Polish food, next weekend. Jessie you're invited. No, I don't know what Polish food tastes like. Yes, this is Geoff's idea. It will be much fun. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Pennsylvania Polka (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
2:16 am	Remember that beer and fireworks don't mix. Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone has a safe and splendid day today. I will be having a super/awesome picnic either in Rocky Woods or in Ashland State Park. As promised, I will savor the day for those who must be at work. I also need some ideas for the goodbye festa, I'm thinking El Pelon? Nothing says "I'll miss you" like great Mexican food and lemonade. Or we could go bowling. El Pelon or bowling...or dare I say...El Pelon AND bowling? Brilliant! :o) Current Mood: mellow Current Music: Carmen (Comment on this)
Monday, July 2nd, 2007
12:32 am	Hurdy have the hurdy gurdy Yesterday I saw a hurdy gurdy. I've been told that, in days past, a monkey usually held a coin cup for the hurdy gurdy man. Sadly there was no monkey, but it was still pretty cool. And just because I couldn't resist... Current Mood: Bork! Bork! (Comment on this)
Friday, June 29th, 2007
12:37 am	It was so hot outside, but my window only caught the cool breeze. A wonderful day. Current Mood: thankful (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007
10:55 pm	Oh David McCullough, you're so dreamy! Yesterday we were graced unexpectedly with the presence of none other than David McCullough He is shooting a documentary on John Adams for HBO and popped in with a couple questions for my boss. For those of you who don't know who he is within the popular literary history world, just picture God in a navy blazer. Current Mood: starstruck Current Music: bluegrass (Comment on this)
Thursday, June 21st, 2007
11:20 pm	Bwa? http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/06/19/vatican.road.rage.ap/index.html Maybe it's just me, but does this come off as a bit presumptuous to anyone else? I mean aren't commandments usually given by, you know,...God? I know this list was made with best of intentions, but every time the Vatican roles out another list of sins I get a little more disenchanted. Current Mood: contemplative Current Music: Dresden Dolls (Comment on this)
Friday, June 15th, 2007
3:43 pm	Those Magic Erasers really are magic. I always joke that visitors love the spiral staircase in the museum a little bit too much. Well, when I was scrubbing the stairs during the Museum Spring Cleaning, I actually found a bit of lipstick smudged on one of the stairs..... Guess the staircase is quite the ladies' man. Current Mood: shocked (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007
3:12 pm	Have you seen my Charlie Card? I lost my Charlie Card. I put it in the pocket of my dress slacks, which have very shallow pockets. Now someone has their grubby little mitts on my card and is enjoying my $1.10 stored value. Grrr I know it's just a bit of plastic, but I feel forlorn without it. I've had the exact same routine for months. Hop off the train, add some money to my card, some tapping occurred, and I was all set. I just can't get into the Charlie ticket groove. It also grinds my gears that I have to pay thirty cents extra. I know it's just thirty cents, but it adds up given the sheer amount of times I use the subway. It's not hard to get a new one, but time consuming. Just as I was planning a likely fruitless journey to find a new Charlie Card, Geoff gave me his. Huzzah. I'm totally going to fuse it to somepart of my purse/body so I don't lose it again. Current Mood: grateful (Comment on this)